


A Kiss From A Rose

by SherlokiOfPigfarts



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: A Knight's Tale Inspired, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Tournaments, alternative universe, may not happen but is mentioned, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 00:02:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15983315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlokiOfPigfarts/pseuds/SherlokiOfPigfarts
Summary: Leonard Snart and his friends are criminals when they arrive at the Allen’s tournament. Lord Thawne tasks them with helping him win the hand of Lord Bartholomew Allen, the young Lord the Knights are competing for the hand of. The task seems easy except for an unnamed Knight who keeps winning the tournament and charming Len in the process.Then he’s set a challenge by Lord Barry: Try and seduce the Knight before the tournament ends.One Lord says to stop the Knight and another challenges him to seduce him. Leonard doesn’t care as long as he gets paid or laid, preferably both.Inspired by A Knight's Tale - Coldflash





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back!
> 
> This is just a side project I hope to bash out in a few days while I'm working on my other works (Yes Robin Hood and Secrets and Lies are still happening I just write at snail pace. I write nothing then I write an entire chapter, post, and don't look back.)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this! Let me know so I know whether to continue or not :)

When Leonard arrived in town with his friends beside him, he was immediately intrigued. The place was abuzz with nobleman and peasants alike manoeuvring through the streets. It was common for jousting tournaments to attract crowds, but Len had never seen so many people. He didn’t like people, but he liked having targets. 

The tournament had been going for a few days before their arrival as there were so many knights wishing to compete. The prize was the hand of Lord Bartholomew Allen, a young man with wealth only topped by the royal family themselves; and Len knew that where unmarried Lords and Ladies were, rich knights followed. They made wonderful targets to steal from.

Though Len was happy to spend the whole tournament completing small crimes against those of nobler birth, he had a specific mission.

Len, joined by his friend Mick and sister Lisa, eventually pushed past the crowds to reach the tavern where they were to meet a client. Hiring thieves, though uncommon, was no unheard of. They reached the table furthest to the back of the tavern and found their man. 

“Welcome to town,” Lord Eobard greeted with a simple gesture for them to sit, which each accepted wordlessly. He twirled a dagger in his other hand and watched each crook closely. The Lord was the typical image of the upper class. He was tall and blond with an air of superiority that made him easy to hate. He smiled, and though Len smiled back, they both knew they were looking down on the other.

“Your letters were quite vague, my Lord,” Len said, watching the rest of the tavern, “care to elaborate on why you asked us here?”

Eobard smiled back at the trio. “Of course. A previous client of your informed me of you…particular skill sets. I wish to employ you to assist me in winning this tournament.”

“I heard you were doing quite well in competition, my Lord?” Lisa asked, completely relaxed amongst the men.

“I am succeeding, true,” Eobard twirled the dagger idly. “But there is a certain knight that has the potential to defeat me in this tournament. I face him in a few days and I wish to secure my victory. Killing him is too risky but if he were to be sabotaged it would be easy enough to make him lose all on his own. He has no revealed his name or face but is too favoured by the lower class to be removed from the tournament.”

“You’d be willing to cheat this man if it means winning?” Len asked.

Eobard shrugged, “For any other Lord or Lady I would not, but Lord Allen is worth the trouble.”

Leonard was tempted to disagree. He had heard a lot about Lord Bartholomew, and he did not seem to be a very interesting man. He supposedly rarely spoke to anyone besides his lady in waiting, he didn’t leave his home unless required to, and was so weak that he was yet to sit through an entire day of the tournament without feeling faint. Len assumed that the man must be incredibly rich and handsome because he had little else about him worth marrying him for. 

Despite his disagreements with Eobard’s reasoning, he wasn’t against getting paid. 

 

 

The next day, the rogues watched their first jousts. Knights from across the country came in their expensive armour to compete, showing off their wealth and skills. 

On that day he also saw Barry Allen for the first time. Len stood at a distance, separated from him by the jousters, as was typical for upper and lower classes to be separated. Still he could see him sit next to his father on a raised podium, being the Lord that the knights were competing for. Len had to admit, Barry was certainly handsome. Len could clearly see why countless people had lines up to marry him. He could also see how utterly frail he looked. The young Lord was pale and looked exhausted despite sitting in as much luxury as a tournament would allow. Len didn’t think he would have competed if he had been allowed to, but he could see why so many had fallen into the Lord’s spell. 

The tournament raged on, but despite his sister cheering by his side and Mick’s snide comments, he kept his thoughts on Barry. Something was telling him that there was more to the Lord than met the eye. He thought there must be something drawing people to him besides looks and money. The boy had to have substance surely.

Just as he wondered this, the Lord excuse himself from the tournament. Len thought it was the universe proving him wrong, but he didn’t blame the Lord. He did look incredibly pale.

After that, the competition continued without anything too interesting, until a certain knight appeared.

Eobard had warned of the mysterious unnamed knight that had won matches and hearts alike. Len wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but the knight himself overcame those expectations.

The knight walked into the space and the crowd went wild. The nobles looked tense but the poor were screaming with excitement, and Len could see why. The knight strutted into view, his armour shining in the sun and face fully covered. The man oozed charm. He immediately turned to the crowd with his arms out and the people ate him up. He gave a turn, new armour Len supposed, and people screamed for him. Len thought it was stuck up, but the knight bowed to the peasants watching in a way that seemed so genuine.

Then the man competed. He shook hands with his competitor and gathered his lance. He cut a regal figure upon his horse and looked with intent towards his competition. Without a word or another act of showmanship, the pair raced towards each other.

The Knight unseated his foe in a single blow. With speed unrivalled and seemingly no effort, the foe went flying off his horse, wood from the lance flying. It sent the crowd wild.

The Knight continued to do this with three other knights, moving with a grace unrivalled and with a flair that was refreshing amongst the stiff upper class.  
When the time came at the end of the matches to award the day’s best performer, the prize went to the mysterious Knight, which delighted the mobs to no end. Lord Barry’s father, Henry, handed the Knight his prize money and the Knight bowed lowly and with all the respect of a nobleman. When he stood up again, he stood with grandeur that seemed so natural.

Then he turned around, looked back to the crowd, and threw the open bag into the crowd. Coins went flying and people went man scrambling to grab them and screaming cheers to their favourite knight. Len laughed. He could see why the people liked him. He had the riches and skills of the upper class, but the fire and disregard for the nobility that the people adored. He was clearly someone the nobleman didn’t want to win, which made the people love him more. It made Len smirk.

Then Lisa leaned a flower over the railings towards the Knight. Many women were, each of which the Knight nodded his head to, but he stopped when he stood in front of Lisa. He looked at her carefully before he gently took the rose in his gloved hand. Then he broke off the stem and reached back to place the red rose in her hair. It was vibrant amongst her dark curls and made Lisa smile even wider and more devilish. 

Len was going to roll his eyes, when the Knight looked to him. The pair were eye to eye, despite the Knight’s helmet hiding his face. Len raised an eyebrow at him, trying to appear unfazed. Then the Knight looked him up and down and smiled behind his helmet, and Len cracked a smirk back at him. Damn, the charm wasn’t all for show.

“I like him,” Lisa said watching the Knight leave.

Len pretended not to watch him go. It would be a shame to sabotage him, but at least the man was fun. “Me too.”

 

 

 

“So, can it be done?”

“It can be. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Eobard and Leonard sat in church pews watching from the back of the building as the people began exiting the communion. Only a few stayed behind, including Lord Barry and his Lady in waiting, Caitlin. Eobard hadn’t stopped watching Barry from the moment they had entered the church. Len found it tiresome. They had come there to discuss plans to disturb their mystery Knight, yet all of his companion’s attention had been on the young Lord.

Len rolled his eyes. “It seems an awful lot of effort for one uninteresting man.”

That was when Eobard finally turned to him. He scoffed. “If you find him uninteresting then you truly don’t know him. I can’t blame you though. Most of the Knights in this competition don’t know him either.”

“Sorry if I don’t take your word for it.” Len relaxed back in his seat and looked across the church at the young man who finished speaking with the priest and was conversing with Caitlin in hushed tones.

Eobard smirked. He was tempted to leave Leonard in the dark, but also fancied some amusement amongst the tournament. Without another thought he reached into his jacket and pulled out a sealed letter.

“Take this to him, then decide if he’s as boring as you think.”

Len raised an eyebrow at the letter but took it. “What is it?”

“A letter of my affections, nothing more. He refuses to take anymore from me but if you deliver it he might be more inclined to read it.”

“So much for taking a hint then.”

Len slipped out of the pew regardless and began sauntering along the church aisle. He saw the two whispering figures and cleared his throat.

The pair jumped slightly. Barry looked to him with wide eyes. Len had to admit that close up, Barry was definitely attractive. He wasn’t as pale today, looking more alive there than Len had seen him before. His eyes had something about them that wordlessly drew him in, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. His staring was interrupted by Caitlin stepping between them.

“Can we help you, Sir?”

Len made a mock bow. “My Lord, my Lady. I come bearing a declaration of love.”

Then he heard a laugh. It snapped his eyes up from his bow to see Barry smiling. It lit up his face. “Do you now?”

Len didn’t like admitting that Eobard might be right. Hearing Barry speak was like a siren drawing a sailor to his death. He straightened himself out and regained composure. 

“Yes. My Lord Eobard has asked me to deliver this to you.” He held out the letter but immediately regretted it. The smile on Barry’s face dropped. He looked at the letter like it was a bug on his shoe. “He has informed me of his affection for you. If you wish I may relay a message back to him?”

Barry looked to him with daggers in his eyes. It was only for a second though, as then it was replaced with a sweet smile that Len could now see was fake. He guessed that the Lord had become an expert in hiding his true distaste. 

Barry took the letter, still smiling. “You may relay a message back to him. You can remind him of what I told him the last time he tried to bestow his admiration on me.”

Caitlin became visibly uncomfortable. Len didn’t take that as a good sign. He placed his hands behind his back. “And what did you tell him last time?”

Barry took a breath to relax and stepped closer to Leonard so anyone else in the church still would struggle to hear. “Tell him he is the vilest man I have ever met, and that if he tries to speak to me again I will have his entrails ripped out and hung from the castle battlements.”

Len dropped a smile. Barry seemed to enjoy that. He turned back to Caitlin “Was there anything else?”

She tried to tell him that they should leave but Barry ignored it. ‘Oh! I remember. The rest isn’t appropriate for church though. So good day Sir…”

Len cleared his throat if only to bring himself out of shock. “Um-Snart. Leonard Snart, and I’m not a Knight.”

“Oh of course. I wouldn’t dare say such vulgar things in front of a potential spouse. Knights want mouths but not ones that speak apparently. Unless you also wish to declare undying love for me?”

Leonard, for once, had nothing to say. The Lord had thoroughly surprised him. So much so that he was tempted to declare love for him on the simple basis that he could potentially outwit him. He resisted though. 

“I think I’ll leave my burning desires to myself.”

That made Barry laugh. Len found it a relief, though tried not to show it.

“Well I hope you don’t do so forever. Good day, Leonard.”

With a bow, he grabbed Caitlin’s hand and the pair quickly made their way out of the church. Barry kept his head down, both to appear milder and to avoid Eobard’s watching eyes as he passed him in the pews.

Len just watched him leave. Maybe the Lord wasn’t so boring after all.

 

 

 

“He actually said that he would hang Eobard’s entrails from the castle walls? Kid’s more fun than he seems.” Lisa laughed.

The siblings snuck through the tents around the Knights’ camp, searching for the tent of the mysterious Knight. The crept across the grass of the field nearest the city where barrage of Knights were keeping their essentials. That was where they would stay in preparation for competing, keeping their armour and lances, sometimes even sleeping there to save money on rooms at inns.

“How did you find which was the Knight’s?” Len asked, keeping an eye out in the dark.

“The Knight’s squire is called Cisco. I just had to use my feminine wiles.”

Len gave her a glare but she just snickered. “Relax, Lenny. I just asked and he melted.”

The pair eventually reached a small tent amongst the others in red and yellow. The tent was big enough to have room for someone to walk around it, but less lavish than that of other Knights. It didn’t have a guard though there were some around other tents. Some Knights were still awake, talking amongst themselves by fires and in tents, but Len didn’t think the silent Knight would be with any of them.

Lisa kept watch while Len cut through one of the ropes pinning the tent to the ground.He quickly cut loose the corner of the tent and managed to slide into the tent. 

He kept silent but quickly found that no one was inside. If the mystery Knight did sleep there, he must have been out. Len made sure to note that the Knight was able to go out without his armour. The armour in question was sat next to an empty and seemingly unused bed, the lance laid next to it.

Len slung the breastplate of the armour onto his back and managed to snap the lance with the few tools he had brought. It was an easy plan: make sure the Knight didn’t have the utensils to compete in the morning and he would either have to delay his matches which no one would be happy about or pull out of the competition entirely. 

Len slipped out of the tent and pulled extra rope from his bag to re-tie the tent corner back into it’s place. 

 

 

 

The plan had been perfect, which is why Len was pissed when it failed.

The tournament continued as expected. Eobard had defeated two Knights, Lord Barry had been ill the whole time, supposedly bedridden, and then the mystery Knight had arrived.

The man had entirely new armour, beautifully made and a new lance. The lance was less fashionable than the last one, but served the Knight as well. The crowd continued to cheer for him but Len was gritting his teeth in the stands. It was impossible for him to have a new lance and new armour in time and both in wonderful condition without them being superbly rich or prepared, which would require money all the same. 

“How the hell does he have new armour and a lance in hours? Theres not enough money in the kingdom to get it made that quickly.”

Lisa leaned over the wooden stand to see the mystery Knight’s new armour better. “Cisco works in the royal blacksmith but that doesn’t explain the speed or money that went into that. Rumours think the Knight is poor anyway.”

“What other rumours have you heard about him?”

“Tonnes,” Lisa grinned back at him. “People think he might be Lord Barry’s secret peasant lover who’s hidden his identity so he can compete for him hand. Some think that’s why Barry is never here to watch the events, he’s actually secretly pregnant with the Lord’s child and is hiding it.”

Len scoffed at that. “It would explain why Barry’s never here but no peasant could afford such nice armour - Unless Lord Allen is paying for it.”

“I also heard that the Knight is the squire Cisco himself, trying to gain his Lord’s favour. I don’t buy that though. Cisco definitely likes girls.” Lisa had a wicked grin, trying to spy the young man much to Leonard’s annoyance.

“We’re here to sabotage the Knight, so don’t keep flirting with his squire.”

“Well you want to flirt with the Knight himself sos you can hardly judge.”

Len rolled his eyes at his sister. “I’m not flirting with him.”

“But you want to,” She sang and Len rolled his eyes. Even Mick scoffed from next to them.

The mystery Knight finished his matches to thunderous applause. The rest of the crowd stayed to watch the next pair of Knights, but Len left Lisa and Mick to watch. He made his was out of the crowd and wandered in the direction of the Knights’ tents. He headed there till he saw Cisco walked back there with the Knight, helmet still on. 

Len crossed his arms. “My Lords.”

The pair turned back to him, Cisco looking nervous. Len wasn’t sure if Cisco knew that he was Lisa’s brother but he was glad to make him scared all the same.

“I simply wanted to congratulate you on your matches today.”

Cisco shuffled uncomfortably, but the Knight stood unfazed. Len couldn’t see his eyes through the helm from that distance but he hoped the Knight was smiling. The Knight whispered something to Cisco.

“His Lord thanks you.” Cisco repeated. 

Len knew the Knight was committed to keeping his identity secret, but hiding his voice would be unnecessary unless it was recognisable. He made another note. “Tell him the new armour suits him.”

Cisco was about to speak when he turned to the Knight and must have seen him smiling. “Hey if you want to flirt you can leave me out of it.”

The Knight didn’t listen because he leaned in and whispered something else to Cisco, who turned red.

“He says thank you but he prefers the old one, which he says you can return when you’re ready.”

Damn. Len realised the red in Cisco’s face was more anger than blushing.

“I didn’t know the last one was stolen. Perhaps a fan wanted a piece of the mysterious Knight winning everyone’s heart.”

Another whisper. One that Cisco had to argue against saying. He huffed. “The Knight says you’re welcome to a trinket whenever you desire it. He’s happy to…and this is totally him not me... satisfy your curiosity.”

Len couldn’t help a wicked grin. “Be careful what you wish for.”

With that, the Knight bowed and walked off, Cisco glaring at Len as he left. Len just watched the Knight go, knowing the man was taking a route back to his tent that kept him in view longer. 

His only regret was having Lisa be right.

 

 

 

The next day was a rest day, free of competition and full of Knights swarming the town for amusement. Len spent part of the day cementing new plans with a livid Eobard, before he went searching for his sister. 

He eventually found her in a place both expected and unexpected. She was sat lounging in the sun on the royal podium which was now empty except for her and her friends. One of these friends was Cisco whom Len guessed was struggling to keep away from the beautiful Lisa. 

The part that Len hadn’t been expecting was to find Barry with her. He later learned that his lady in waiting Caitlin was a childhood friend of Cisco’s and had the pair had been convinced to join Lisa and Cisco on the podium to relax in the sun. 

“Having fun, Lisa?” Len asked, leaning on the stairs to the podium.

The group turned. Lisa smiled and Cisco immediately looked unsettled. Caitlin appeared unfazed but Barry was the reaction Len smiled at, as Barry blushed. It was slight but noticeable.

 

“Very much so.” Lisa leaned back to place her head in Cisco’s lap.

“So they let the bird out of his cage then?” Len sauntered up to sit with them on the podium. He looked over to Barry who raised an eyebrow before he realised Len had been referring to him.

“How funny,” Barry rolled his eyes. “The sun is good for my health and I’m hardly a caged bird.”

“You still haven’t answered my question, Lord Allen,” Lisa interrupted with a grin.

“Because I refuse to answer that.”

Len leaned back on a wooden post opposite Barry. “What aren’t you answering?”

“They’re playing a game,” Caitlin said, “They’re listing two of the competing Knights and saying who’s tent they would rather sneak into.”

“Lord Allen says he wouldn’t be carnal with anyone before marriage but I can tell he’s lying.” Lisa snicker and Barry shoved her with his foot. 

“It only a game, anyway.”

“Then answer the question!” Lisa turned to look Barry in the eye and smile, something wicked in her eyes. She spoke with an over exaggerated voice. “Would you spend a secret night in the intimate embrace of Lord Palmer or Lord Queen?”

Barry groaned but Len was smirking at him. It was fun to see the side of the Lord that the public didn’t get to. The real side, Len assumed. The Barry he saw away from the crowds was more alive, less perfect. It wasn’t something he wanted to admit to finding attractive.

“Lord Palmer is a lovely man but I can hardly see myself doing anything intimate with him. Lord Queen is dark and brooding but I fear he’d be no fun. He seems all business.”

Lisa chuckled at the idea but Barry buried his face in his hands. “If I have to marry one of them after this I will never hear the end of it.”

When Len laughed, Barry looked up. Leonard only raised an eyebrow at his look. He received glare in return, only for a moment. Then Barry smiled back at him. 

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Of all the Knights competing for my hand, who would you find yourself in bed with?”

Len smiled back at him. “Easy. The mystery Knight.”

Barry’s eyebrows went up. The others seemed surprised, Cisco looking almost pale at the idea, which only amused Leonard more. Barry, on the other hand, didn’t stop smiling.

“An interesting choice. You don’t even know what he looks like.”

“Sometimes what makes a person attractive isn’t solely in the looks.”

“True, but you would give yourself to someone you couldn’t even name?”

“Not typically, but for our charming Knight, I would try. I’m sure he’d enjoy it too.”

The pair kept eyes locked, an unsaid tension between them. The others seemed to notice though because Caitlin, Lisa and Cisco were watching the match with wide eyes.

Barry kept smiling. “How about a challenge then?”

“What do you suggest, my Lord?”

“If you can sleep with this mystery Knight before the tournament crowns a winner then you win. If he maintains his stoic nameless attitude, which I’m sure he will, then I win.”

“What do I get if I win?”

“Besides getting to sleep with my potential husband?” Barry remarked but quickly continued. “How much money do you want?”

Len leaned forward as they bargained. “If I win you have to make me a Knight.”

“Deal.” Caitlin and Cisco shared a look but Barry continued. “If I win then you have to declare undying love for me in front of the whole court.”

Len smirked at that. “What if I’m not in love with you?”

“That’s what will make it fun, Leonard. Do we have an agreement?”

Barry leaned out a hand and the pair held each other’s stare before Len shook it in agreement. 

“Deal.”

 

 

 

When Len and Lisa left the trio, Lisa was quick to question her brother.

“Did you really just agree to try and sleep with the Knight we’re trying to sabotage?”

Len smiled as they walked back to the inn. “Relax. Barry’s the one who wants to sleep with me. He’ll give in before the tournament is over. This either ends with me getting with a Knight or with a Lord and I’ll take either of those options.”

Lisa rolled her eyes but still grinned, amused at the whole scheme. “And what happens when this tournament is over?”

“Whatever I want,” Len shrugged. “I have our young Lord wrapped around my finger.”

 

 

“I can’t believe you did that,” Cisco said as the three watched the siblings walk away.

Barry stood up, pulling Caitlin up with him. “Hey, I’m already winning this competition. I need something new to make it more interesting.”

The three started walking back to the castle. Cisco, asked, “and what happens when lover boy realises that you and the Knight are the same person?”

Barry sighed. “Something fun, I hope.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BASHED OUT ANOTHER CHAPTER IN A DAY I'M ON A ROLL!!!!

“So,” Caitlin said as she looked over the schedule for the tournaments that day, “you have a joust in the morning but only the one. For the rest of the day you’ll be watching. It ends early today because tonight is the ball where you’re expected to dance with the knights still competing.”

Barry just groaned and buried his head back in his pillow. It had been a few days since he agreed on his bet with Len and a week since the announcement of the ball. He hated dancing at balls. He enjoyed dancing, but this ball would be full of Lords and Sirs asking after his health and what he wanted in a husband. It would be exhausting and amass with people he would rather ignore. 

“How do you plan on hiding your absence for this morning’s joust?” Cisco asked.

“Well I’m not using that potion from the other day.” Barry pointedly glared at Cisco. He’d used a potion on the day that Leonard had arrived to make him appear deathly pale so he could have an excuse to leave the tournament and compete. “If I look that pale again my father will have a heart attack.”

It was one of the downsides to competing in secret: hiding it from his father. Feigning bad health in order to escape was clearly worrying his father and even some of the knights who didn’t want a husband who would die before they were even wed.

Caitlin yanked the sheet off of Barry. “I can pretend you slept in. I’m sure Henry wouldn’t mind. Just be quick when you’re done competing.”

Barry eventually gave in and the day continued mostly as planned. Barry knew the castle well enough to sneak out with Cisco and make his way to his tent without alerting any guards. He discussed with Cisco their plan for getting him straight back to the tournament when his match was done with ease and quickly had his armour on and was ready to head out.

The straps on his saddle had been cut, though Barry could easily replace them. He knew it was Leonard who had stolen his armour before because Cisco had talked non stop about a pretty girl who had asked him about working for the Knight. Barry was quick to place the Snart siblings together and after Len had spoken to him on Eobard’s behalf in the church, it was easy enough to piece together.

So Leonard and Eobard were working to sabotage him. He didn’t know why Len wanted to, he knew it wasn’t because he hated the Knight at least, but he knew Eobard was determined to win. Barry was just as determined to beat him.

The tournament itself went on without any problems. Cisco was able to replace the straps with materials from the blacksmith and Barry competed with ease. He had one match and was met with thunderous applause that he was embarrassed to admit that he really enjoyed. It was the one time he was admired instead of treated like he was breakable.

The other positive of the match was having Leonard in the stands smirking at him the whole time. He didn’t seem to mind that his plan to sabotage him didn’t work. He was joined by his scary companion that Barry was yet to meet, but there was no sign of his sister, Lisa. Barry had to admit that he quite liked Lisa. She was fiery and made Cisco blush which was always fun to watch. 

When Barry’s match had finished, and he’d showed off enough to the crowd, he started to make his way back to his tent only to find Leonard following him again. While Barry was happy to find that their post-match flirting was going to be a regular thing, this being the fourth day it had happened, Cisco didn’t seem happy being the middle man again. He allowed them to talk for a little bit before he reminded Barry that they had to rush back.

Barry raced back to his tent and started getting changed back into his nobleman attire. The rest of the tents were mostly empty during matches so it made sneaking between the two places fairly easy. 

Then Barry noticed that he had a letter. He wasn’t sure if he’d missed it before or if it was new. He’d received letters as Barry, but never as the Knight. He ran his fingers across the crisp paper when Cisco yelled at him to hurry up. He stuck the letter in his jacket and rushed outside the tent. He took a back route and managed to reach the noblemen podium in good time.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better, Barry,” his father smiled at him and Barry gave him a small hug as he sat down next to him. Caitlin quickly filled him in on who was competing and Barry was comfortable spending the day playing the perfect Lord. 

He had planned to be invested in the matches but he found himself having a staring contest with Leonard from across the stands. He was now rejoined by Lisa, whom he guessed had placed the letter in his tent. A few more knights competed but Barry and Len were having a wordless battle as they tried to catch the other staring. 

It was only when Len started leaving and caught Barry watching him go that he admitted to being more interested in the man than the people competing to marry him. He felt the letter in his jacket pressed against his side and was tempted to fake another illness just to read it.

 

 

_“You call me a thief and criminal which I cannot deny. To steal into your affections was cruel of me when I am not worthy of the admiration of such a skilled and charming Knight. However, you cannot claim to be guiltless, for you are a thief too. You steal my heart without even letting me hear a word from your lips or see you smiling back at me. Perhaps we are both criminals, seeking those we cannot have. But if this is true then I would risk the noose again to steal your heart in return. Let us be thieves together, for no prison is as hellish as a life without you.”_

Barry squealed and Caitlin stabbed him with a needle.

“Ow!”

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “Stop moving and you won’t get stabbed.”

Barry read over the letter from Len for the third time while Caitlin fixed his outfit for the ball. He was fidgeting too much and had been pricked a few times, but he was too happy at the words to really care.

“Are you sure he’s not just saying this to win the bet?” Caitlin asked carefully, putting the finishing touches on the outfit before starting on his hair.

“He likes me though. He was staring at me the entire tournament.”

“He was staring at Barry,” Caitlin reminded him. “The letter is for the Knight.”

Barry hated to admit that she was right. “Can you just let me have this?”

Caitlin signed but didn’t press it any further. She finished with his hair and soon he was heading to the great hall for the ball.

The hall was decorated with extravagance and the room was full of nobles who were quick to greet him. Barry went straight to his father first, enjoying his company while he could before he was asked to dance.

The night went on without much trouble at first. He danced with different knights, each of which were sickeningly polite. Not all were bad, Lord Queen had a dry wit to him and Sir Raymond was sweet. Even the Prince, Clark, danced with him, though Barry didn’t know why the prince was competing for his hand at all. Clark was a friend, and he guessed it was because he felt bad that Barry had no choice in his spouse and wanted him to have a friendly face in the competition. At least if Leonard won their bet then Barry had someone who might be willing to knight him. 

He bowed to Clark when the danced finished and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found the last person he wanted to dance with.

“You don’t have to look so offended, my Lord,” Eobard smiled down at him, taking his hand. “It’s only a single dance.”

“The sooner this is done the better.” Barry said, trying not to look at the man. He was technically required to dance with all the Knights still competing and that unfortunately included Eobard.

“There’s no need to be so hostile with me, surely?”

“You killed my mother,” Barry said with gritted teeth.

Eobard rolled his eyes. ‘A claim which after all these years, you still have no evidence for.”

“I think I know you better than some of these Lords and Ladies do.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Eobard leaned in to avoid others hearing, “I remember how well you wanted to know me.”

Barry tried to pull away but Eobard’s grip was too tight. “You disgust me.”

Eobard scoffed. “I may have offered to elope but you were the one who accepted.”

“I was sixteen.” Barry felt bile in his throat. “You just wanted my money and still do.”

“And we could have avoided all of this tournament business if you hadn’t run back to daddy at the last minute.”

“I’d rather go through this tournament than go back to you.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter now. I’ll win and we’ll be married anyway.”

Barry finally swallowed his anger enough to look up at Eobard. The man was smiling back him, his grip on Barry’s wrist tight. “I will never marry you.”

Eobard kept smiling though. Barry knew there was no dissuading him when he was confident of something. Luckily the song finished and Barry pulled his wrist free. Without looking back he marched away from the great hall, ignoring the people trying to speak to him. 

When he stopped he found himself out in the cold. He stood on the grounds outside of the castle, the tents of the knights still in the distance. The cold air was a welcome relief though when compared to the heat of the hall and Eobard holding onto him.

He wanted to scream. He’d wanted to have Eobard removed from the tournament the second he had been allowed to compete, but only he and his father knew of the man’s past schemes. It would have been the word of a scared boy against that of a respectable Lord. Barry already had the reputation of claiming him a murderer, that part he hadn’t been able to hide from the court. To claim that he found this out when Eobard tried to lie and elope with him at sixteen for his money without proper courting would have been too extreme to be believed.

He wanted to scream, but instead started marching towards the tents. At least there he would be able to spend time away from prying eyes. Getting there didn’t take long, but it gave him time to calm down in the cold air and get his thoughts together.

Then he saw light coming from his tent. He didn’t have his helmet so he crept over to the tent and peered in. To his relief, he just saw Len sat inside, twirling a half full glass of wine in his fingers. Barry thought he looked handsome in the candlelight, if sad to be sat alone.

Barry ducked out of sight and cleared his throat. Barry heard shuffling from inside.

“Relax, I won’t look,” Len called out, “turning around now.”

After a moment the shuffling inside went silent and Barry looked in. Len was indeed alone, now sat with his back to the tent entrance. Barry saw his helmet near Leonard and instinctively made a move towards it. 

“Sorry to arrive unannounced, I didn’t think you were one for dances when all you wear is armour. I’m also sorry if my letter scared you.” Len leaned back on his hands. He was smiling though so Barry could tell that he wasn’t genuinely sorry. Barry was glad of that.

 

 

After a moment Len felt someone on his back. It took a second to register that the Knight was sitting so they were back to back. He was about to call it an odd choice when he saw the helmet placed to one side along with the single candle lighting the tent. He wasn’t going to hide his face. Len could turn around any moment, he was just trusting him not to.

“You’re putting a lot of faith in me,” Len noted, when after a moment of silence something nudged his hand. It was a scrap of paper. He pulled it from the Knight’s hand and into the candlelight.

_Would you really betray the person who stole your heart?_

Len laughed. “So you read the letter then? Hope it wasn’t too much. My charm can be quite disarming.”

Another note. _It would be too much if it wasn’t reciprocated._

“‘If’ is a very important word.”

The pair continued like that into the night, passing notes over the faint candlelight. Barry leaned his head against Len’s shoulder and their fingers lingered as they passed the papers between them.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” Len idly said, “but you’re clearly someone with money and skill. So why are you competing like this? Faceless and nameless?”

Len was worried he’d crossed a like when he heard nothing. Then the familiar scratching of letters onto paper sounded. He felt the gentle pressing of the note into his hand and took his time taking it from the Knight’s fingers, letting their hands brush together.

_I think I wanted to prove something._

Len leaned his hand back to entwine their fingers. “I understand. You want to be someone beyond what the others see you as, beyond position or parents or your past. I get that feeling too.”

Then he felt the Knight softly squeeze his hand back, a wordless sign of comfort. Len smiled. “Thanks. Maybe we don’t need the approval of others, no matter how much we want it.”

From the corner of his eye he saw the Knight move. His free hand reached over and took the candle in hand. In a second he blew the flame out, leaving them in darkness.

“You can’t really write notes in the dark now can you?” Len asked.

Then he felt a hand against his face and realised they were done talking. The Knight nervously let his hands rest on the sides of Len’s face and closed the gap between them. 

The kiss was gentle; Len could tell the Knight was scared of doing something wrong. He didn’t mind though. Instead he rested his hands against the Knight’s hips and let the man test the water. 

He didn’t have light, but he could finally get an idea of what his Knight looked like. The man was muscular but still lean, he learnt as he wrapped his arms fully around him to pull the young man into his arms. 

The Knight also enjoyed kissing him, if him wrappings his arms around Len’s neck to deepen the kiss was any indicator. 

Soon the Knight was on his back, Len on top of him, and his legs open to let Len sit between them. He would have stayed like than forever.

Then there was shouting. The silence they had had before was interrupted by people making their way into the camp, shouting with torches lit.

“I’ll see what’s wrong,” Len said, forcing himself out of his Knight’s arms. He straightened his shirt and opened one end of the tent to look out.

Men were searching the camp, many still dressed for the ball which Len assumed would still be on for at least an hour or two more. The people were frantic and Len had to stop the nearest man just to see what was happening.

“Lord Bartholomew’s gone missing,” said the man. “He left the ball and hasn’t been seen in hours. He’s nowhere in the castle or it’s grounds.”

Leonard let the man go. He stood for a moment before snapping out of his worry. Barry was missing. He quickly turned back to the tent to tell the Knight, but found it empty.

It hurt, but at least he wouldn’t have to tell the Knight that he would have to leave him to find Barry. He didn’t know why, but finding Barry felt like the only thing that mattered. He didn’t want to admit that, despite having the Knight in his arms, part of him wanted Barry too. 

He grabbed his jacket from inside the tent and headed out towards the trees nearest the campsite, not knowing he was being watched.

 

 

Barry watched Len run to find him and decided it would be best to follow him. He damned himself for not thinking about what would happen if he disappeared for hours without a word. He didn’t regret it though, he would give up kissing Len for anything. 

He lifted the hood of his cloak over his head and made his way through the tents and people to follow Len. He reached the edge of the trees without being recognised and saw Len shouting after him. Len looked worried which only made Barry feel worse. 

He didn’t have a lot of options so he rolled his eyes and found a fairly comfortable spot in the dirt to pretend to have collapsed on. He rubbed some dirt into his face and hands just to be sure and closed his eyes. He wasn’t happy about ending his night like this, pretending to be unconscious on the cold dirt floor, but he supposed that he brought it on himself.

He wasn’t laying there for long when he heard someone nearby.

“Damnit, Barry,” Len said under his breath and knelt down next to him. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lord Barry? Can you hear me?”

When he got no reply, Barry pretending to be asleep, Len hooked his arm under Barry’s legs to pull him into a bridal carry. He shouted to men nearby that he’d found Barry and started walking back to the castle.

Barry tried to play asleep, but he couldn’t resist cuddling close to Len. His companion’s body heat was a welcome relief after the harsh ground. Then Len started talking to him. 

“I may have spent some time with our mystery Knight tonight. You’ll hate hearing that when you wake up. Better start confessing your love for me now, before you miss out.”

Barry had his eyes closed but could tell that Len was smirking. He felt a warmth in his chest at the idea of Len bragging about seeing him tonight. 

“I wrote him a letter. Thought it might be easier than going through Cisco. Don’t tell him but I was thinking of you.” Barry heard Len sigh, though it sounded frustrated. “I would pick you if you asked, but you better tell me soon, because I quite like this Knight too…I’m not a Lord, Barry. I don’t get to fight for you.”

Barry subtly buried his face in Len’s chest and he might have fallen asleep there in Len’s arms, if the rest of the world hadn’t intervened.

When guards found Len, they were quick to try and get Barry away from him, but Caitlin arrived in time to confirm that Leonard was a friend of Lord Allen and would be fine taking him back up to his room in the castle. Len gave a smug look to the guards. They made their way up to Barry’s room and Len carefully laid him back down on his bed.

Len watched the young Lord sleeping for a moment while people rushed around, till he heard a voice beside him. 

“Thank goodness he’s safe,” Henry knelt next to Len ignoring everyone in favour of checking on his son. “This boy will be the death of me one day.”

Len scoffed at that. He’d been thinking the same thing too. The sound caught the Lord’s attention though as Henry turned to look at the peasant by his son’s side.

“You’re the one that found him, then?”

He nodded. “Leonard Snart, my Lord.”

“Well, thank you, Leonard. The guards said you were Barry’s friend?”

“His friend Cisco is quite fond of my sister.”

Henry laughed at that. “That doesn’t surprise me. Either way, I’m glad you were there for Barry.”

“Me too.”

Eventually Len was seen out of the castle though he wanted to wait for Barry to wake up. Henry soon left Barry’s side to go to sleep too, it being late at night by that time. Finally Barry was left alone with Caitlin to clean him up and check on him before going to sleep too. 

When the door closed on the last person, leaving Caitlin and Barry alone, she turned to grab a wet cloth, only to turn back and see Barry sat up in bed, wide awake and smiling. It nearly made her scream.

“For goodness sake Barry, you gave us all a heart attack!”

“Sorry,” Barry said with a shrug but was too excited for it to seem sincere.

“I hope you at least had a good night then?”

Barry grew the biggest smile on his face before dramatically falling back against his pillow. It had ended up being a great night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOOH WHAT GON HAPPEN?????? 
> 
> will len pick the Knight or Barry?  
> when will he learn that they're the same person?  
> How will Eobard SUFFER PAINFULLY for being a dick to Barry? (I'll go into more detail on their past in another chapter)
> 
> TUNE IN NEXT TIME <3  
> And thank you all for the comments and kudos it means a lot to me and is great inspiration xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in a dominos and sugar induced madness so its a mess but enjoy

“Father, I’m fine!”

“Barry, you collapsed only a few hours ago. You need to spend the day resting. The knights will understand if you spend one day here.”

Barry appreciated his dad’s concern for his health, but the last thing he needed was to be locked in his room when he had to compete.

“Fine, I’ll stay in the castle but are guards outside my room really necessary?”

His father crossed his arms, “I don’t want to, kiddo, but you had half the nobility looking for you last night. It won’t hurt to have someone keeping an eye on you.”

Barry knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on in their argument. “Okay, I’ll stay here. I’lll…sleep or something.”

His father thanked him, but Barry knew his dad wouldn’t thank him if he knew that he was already thinking of escape plans.

 

 

 

Leonard was sleeping in when he got shoved out of bed. Mick had thrown the sheet off him so quickly that it sent the man to the floor.

“Watch it!” He groaned, still half asleep. “What the hell, Mick?”

Mick just stood over him with his arms crossed. “Girl at the door.”

“So?”

“She says some Lord wants you.”

Len hoped it was a good Lord and was relieved once he got dressed and found that it was Caitlin waiting downstairs in the inn entrance. 

She said they needed to speak privately and the pair quickly started walking, though Len found Caitlin staring backwards. “Why does you friend keep staring at me? I think I surprised him when I asked for you but he hasn’t said anything to me yet, he just stared at me.”

Len smirked at the mental image. “Mick thinks you’re pretty. He just doesn’t know how to use his words.”

“Oh,” Caitlin blushed slightly and that made Len smile more.

“So what does Lord Allen want at this time in the morning?”

“His father won’t let him leave his room after last night’s scare. He wants you to break him out though, he’s probably just bored up there. You brought him home last night so you know what the place looks like?”

Len thought it over. He mentally scanned the room from memory and tried to remember the castle layout. In the end it didn’t matter. He knew the idea was too tempting to pass up.

 

 

 

 

Barry didn’t have to wait long in his room before he heard a knock at the window. He swung a bag over his shoulder and unlatched it to find Len sat on his windowsill.

“Did someone call for a scoundrel?”

“Thank you for doing this. I just can’t stay here-”

Len held a hand up. “Don’t have to explain and don’t thank me. You’re not out yet.”

With that Len leaned a hand out which Barry took. It was when Barry was pulled to sit with his feet hanging over his windowsill that he saw Len’s grand plan. A rope was tied to the top of Barry’s window leading down to a lower roof of the castle. Len pushed off the windowsill so he was hanging on by just the rope, his boots against the tower wall. He held his hand out to Barry again.

“Hang onto me and I’ll walk us down to the roof.”

Barry immediately went red. “I-I can do it myself.”

He started to grab the roof when Len rolled his eyes. “Hey, if you fall that’s on me and I don’t want my head chopped of for getting a Lord squashed.”

“You won’t,” Barry said and swung off the windowsill with his feet hooked into the gaps in the brick tower. Before Len could argue, Barry started climbing down the tower. Len simply rolled his eyes and followed after him.

Barry reached the rooftop first with Len following soon after. Barry couldn’t help but smile smugly when Len joined him.

“See? Not as fragile as everyone says.” 

Len just smirked at him before walking across the roof, Barry following suit. “I know you’re not, though you did fall unconscious last night.”

Barry wanted to correct him but bit his tongue. “Thank you, by the way. Caitlin said you found me and brought me back.”

“You’re welcome, though you did interrupt my night,” Len joked. They reached a gap between two roofs and Len pointed to a plank of wood between them for them to walk on. “Do you…remember anything from last night?”

Barry knew he was thinking about what he’d said while carrying him back. He knew he should say that he herd none of it and avoid the situation entirely, but he couldn’t help himself.

“You mean, did I hear you saying that you wrote a love letter to the mystery Knight thinking of me? I remember.”

Len headed over the wooden plank first, purposely avoiding looking at Barry. ‘And?”

He reached the other roof and turned back to Barry. The young man started making his way over to join him. He made it over with ease and landed right in front of him. “I think you should just address the next one to me.”

Barry sauntered past him and heard Len scoff from over his shoulder. “So do you want to call of the bet then?”

“Why would I do that?”

“If you want me to write you love poems, which will never happen by the way, then you clearly like me. If you like me then you won’t want me sleeping with someone else.”

“You want me to be jealous of this Knight?”

“He and I are getting along quite well, actually.” The pair reached the end of a roof with nowhere else to go. It overlooked a field and seemingly brought them to a dead end. “If you don’t call it off I might end up running off with him while you get to marry some Lord.”

Barry cracked a smile at the thought of Len running off with him. “I’m not calling off the bet because you will. You’ll realise that you love me more than this Knight and will call it off to confess undying love for me instead.”

Len laughed at that. “And what if I don’t? This Knight and I have shared our deepest heartfelt desires with each other which is more than the flirting between you and I. I might have even won our bet last night if you hadn’t interrupted.”

“Oh really?” The pair stood still on the final roof, any plans to actually get back to town but on hold. They smiled at each other, waiting for the other to crack. 

“Well,” Len faked an air nonchalance. “You could always kiss me and make it even.”

Barry raised an eyebrow. “You’re not getting one that easily.”

“You wound me, my Lord.” Len placed a hand over his heart. He starting walking backwards towards the edge of the roof. “How will I ever cope without your sweet embrace?”

Barry just laughed, till Len reached the edge of the rooftop.

“This life isn’t worth living anymore.” Then he jumped off.

“Len!” Barry yelled and raced to look over the rooftop. He only found Len laughing, safely on top of a haystack.

“That wasn’t funny!” Barry shouted down to him, trying to relax after the scare.

“I think it was hilarious,” Len just kept laughing. He got up and dusted the hay off himself. “We’re out by the stables; we’ll reach town soon. Jump down and I’ll catch you.”

Barry stood up and rolled his eyes. “I’ll take my chances with the haystack, thank you.”

He took a breath and jumped down from the roof, landing on the hay with a thud but no harm done. Len was quick to offer a hand to help him up which Barry accepted. 

Once up, he found he hadn’t let go of Len’s hand. He was looking up and him and felt a sadness in his chest. In his eyes he’d already shared hopes and fears with Len as the Knight, but Len had no idea they were one in the same. 

Barry looked down at his feet. “I don’t open up easily. I don’t put my feelings in the hands of those who think I’m helpless…and the last time I tried I got betrayed. So I’m sorry if I seem distant.”

Barry kept his eyes on the ground. He didn’t look up till he felt Len’s hand cupping his face.

“I hope you know that you can trust me, Barry.”

Barry finally cracked a smile. “I do trust you.”

They stood silent for a moment, Barry fighting the urge to once again close the gap between them. 

Then the horns to announce the start of the tournament sounded. It snapped them both from their trance and then dropped their hands. 

“I need to go!” Barry said and started rushing off. “I’m sorry!”

“Barry, wait!” Len tried running after him, but wasn’t fast enough.

 

 

 

When Len reached the town he couldn’t find Barry. The streets were mostly empty, people heading to or already at the tournament, but he couldn’t see anyone he actually wanted to see. He eventually had to give up, trusting that Barry knew what he was doing. He was heading over to the tournament when he heard someone call, unfortunately not the person he wanted to hear.

He rolled his eyes when Eobard walked up and patted him on the shoulder. 

“Leonard, it seems you’re failing to do the job I set you.”

“It’s not my fault this Knight is smarter than you give him credit for.” Len kept walking and tried to ignore the man. “Besides there’s only so much you can do.”

“Clearly you haven’t been doing enough. I had to take measures into my own hands.”

That made Len finally stop. “What did you do?”

“Don’t look so distressed, I simply slit his horse’s throat last night. Though I’m not impressed at having to do your job for you.”

Len looked around to check no one could be listening before silently losing it. “Are you out of your mind? He could go to Lord Henry about this! You’re supposed to be subtle if you’re going to cheat! I was able to get around stealing his armour-”

“Clearly your methods aren’t achieving the desired results.”

Len didn’t bother to listen to anything else he had to say. He started racing over to the tournament, shoving past people and not caring what they had to say about it. He made it to the stands and pushed past to see the Knight. 

Len was relieved to see him with a new horse at least, though clearly this one wasn’t as prepared as the one Eobard had killed. The Knight was on his horse arguing with Cisco who was on the ground. Both men appeared exhausted, the Knight trying to calm his horse.

Eventually the Knight had no choice and had to compete like that. Len watched from the stands, soon found by Lisa and Mick. Both were asking him about Barry, but he brushed them off for checking that the Knight was okay. 

The matches went on but it was clear that the Knight was at a disadvantage. He rode with less precision, won sometimes by luck alone. It was brutal to watch. Len finally couldn’t bring himself to watch and opted instead for pacing by their usual meeting place. It wasn’t anymore calming but it was better than standing still.

After a while the Knight and Cisco turned the corner, the squire leading the horse. 

“Are you alright? I-”

The Knight didn’t look at him, keeping his head down in exhaustion. Cisco though was pissed. “Save it, asshole. We all know this was you.”

“I didn’t kill his horse!”

“Oh? But you were at his tent last night and happen to be friends with Eobard who _clearly_ wants him dead?”

“This was all Eobard, I didn’t have a hand in this,” He ignored Cisco and turned to the Knight instead. “You know I wouldn’t do this to you.”

The Knight looked over slightly, the only indication that he was listening. The silence that stretched was agony before the Knight gestured for Cisco to come over to him. Cisco glared at Len again before going to the Knight and letting him whisper to him. 

“Wait - you believe him? Why?! He’s working with Lord Evil!” Cisco looked between them both in bewilderment when the Knight turned to walk back to him tent. It was a small relief to Len to be believed, but he knew their relationship was on thin ice.

“I’ll stop working with Eobard,” Len called after them. In made the Knight pause but he didn’t look back. “I shouldn’t have agreed to help him in the first place. I’m sorry.”

The silence that followed was gruelling, but the Knight gave a small nod, the only acknowledgement that he had even listened. It was tiny but all Len was going to get. The Knight left without looking back, Cisco glared back atheism though, as they walked back to their tent.

 

 

 

Len spent the rest of the day at the tournament trying to keep his mind off of both the Knight and Barry. One had run away from him for no reason and the other had left with good reason. It sucked but he supposed it was his punishment for trying to see which he could get first. 

The events lacked the amusement they had had before. Barry wasn’t on the nobles’ platform for him to flirt with, the Knight had finished for the day, and in the afternoon Eobard went up to compete and did well, much to Len’s annoyance.

Instead of watching Thawne finish his matches, Len decided to head back to his room in the inn. He thought he would get some time away from his guilt thoughts, but wasn’t so lucky.

He opened the door and found Barry. The young man was sat on the edge of his bed, his hair a mess and his face pulled into a frown. 

“Hey,” Len said, voice soft. Barry was clearly upset and he didn’t want to hurt anyone else that day.

“I’m sorry for running off,” Barry sniffed. “Can you take me back to my room? I couldn’t get onto the roof alone.”

Len sighed. He leaned out a hand to help Barry up which he accepted. They walked out the inn without another word, though Len did have to sneak a coin to the innkeeper to be quiet about having a Lord in his room. They snuck back through the town, mostly empty as the tournament continued, and Len resisted the urge to ask him about why he ran off.

They reached the wall they had gone up before and Len gave him a hand getting up. Barry helped pull him up in return and the pair silently walked along the rooftops as they approached the tower with Barry’s room.

They made their way along without speaking, but Leonard did’t feel awkward, simply sad that Barry, the typically talkative one of the pair, had nothing to say.

They climbed up the tower easily enough, the rope from that morning still in place. Barry went up first, quickly swinging into his room and going to the fireplace. Len climbed up next, though he stayed sat on windowsill, realising that he had gone as far as he was needed. 

Barry finished with the fireplace, letting it light the room a little better, when he saw Len sitting only halfway in. He silently sighed and gestured with his head for Leonard to come in. Len didn’t wait and swung his legs into the room and stepped inside. Barry continued to not say anything, but sat down on the bed. Len slowly wandered over and sat down next to Barry, getting the feeling that there was something else on Barry’s mind.

When Barry finally brought himself to speak, his voice was shaky. His eyes were on the ground.

“When I was fifteen, my mother got sick. It started slow but after a few months she couldn’t even get out of bed. I spent my sixteenth birthday by her bedside.”

Len wanted to say sorry, though it wasn’t his fault. He felt like he couldn’t speak though. It felt better to just let Barry talk.

“My father relied on her for so much that when she…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “When she died he struggled to cope. So…the Lord that lived closest to our land came to offer his assistance.

Eobard seemed nice at first. He helped my father manage the estate while I arranged her funeral. I didn’t notice at first when he started paying more attention to me. My father was trying to keep the estate together and I…I liked the attention he gave me. It filled the gap inside that I had when my mother passed. He said I was special and I missed when my mother would say it so I let him. 

After a few months of staying with us, Eobard asked me to marry him. I thought he was kind and it would be easier on my father so I said yes. On the night we were planning to run off I went into his study to grab the last of our things…He’d left letters on his desk and I didn’t know which he needed so grabbed them all. I ended up reading some though. I noticed my mother’s name and…”

He sniffed away a tear but still didn’t look up. 

“He’d killed her. He had letters to some Lord named Zolomon about poisoning her and using our money to pay off debts. It was all part of a plan to stop himself going bankrupt.

“I freaked out. I just dropped everything and ran out screaming at him about murdering my mum. The rest just didn’t matter as much at that point. He denied it of course but I’d seen it. I ended up waking some of the staff who heard me yelling about murder. He told them I’d lost my mind in the grief.

“I ended up running to my father in the middle of the night and telling him everything, about the murder, the elopement, all of it. He believed me but we knew no one else would. I was grieving and sixteen, he was a respectable Lord. Eobard left that night and we didn’t tell anyone about the marriage plans. It was easier to pretend nothing had happened. The court boiled my murder claims down to being young and emotional.

“Then this stupid tournament came and we had no grounds to disqualify him. I had no proof of the murder or anything after. Now he’s close to winning and I-”

Barry choked back the start of a sob. He finally looked up and turned to Len. “Please don’t work with him again.”

“I won’t-” Len quickly said before Barry broke down. He started crying and buried his head in Len’s chest.

Len held him and let him cry. He barely had anything to say, feeling overwhelmed with the confession. So instead of speaking, he just held Barry close and listened to him weep.

They stayed that way for what felt like forever, before Barry’s breathing calmed down enough for him to speak again.

“Cisco told me that you weren’t helping him anymore but I still wanted to tell you.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” Len kept a hand on Barry’s back. He had so much he wanted to say but nothing felt good enough. “If I’d known I would never have helped him as much as I did.”

“Why were you helping him?” Barry asked, and wiped away some tears with his sleeve. 

“I just needed the money. At least now I know that he doesn’t have any. I’m sorry, I wouldn’t ever hurt you intentionally…You mean a lot to me.”

Barry wiped away the last of his tears and smiled at Len. “Oh, do I?”

Len just laughed. “Don’t let it go to your head, my Lord.”

Barry laughed too, but it soon melted into a silence. He gently reached over and took Len’s hand. “You mean a lot to me too.”

They sat in silence for only a moment more before Len leaned over and kissed him. Barry quickly grabbed the front of his shirt and deepened it. Soon he was letting Len pull him onto his lap and wrapping his arms around his neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes till someone knocked on Barry’s door.

The pair froze, Barry instinctively holding Len closer when the knock made him jump.

A guard called from the other side, “My Lord, the day’s events are done and your father wishes to see you.”

“I’ll be out soon!” Barry called back, though he wanted nothing more than to stay where he was. He waited till there was silence on the other side of the door, then he looked back to Len who was smiling up at him.

Without any warning, Len stood up, making Barry squeal. He tightened his grip around Len’s neck and wrapped his legs around his waist to avoid falling. It made Len laugh as he turned around to sit Barry back down on the bed. Barry released his hold on him once sat down, Len stood in front of him. 

“Don’t do that without warning me, please,” Barry asked, straightening his shirt.

“No promises,” Len warned, leaning in for a final kiss. It was gentle but lingered long enough to tell Barry that they wouldn’t have stopped kissing if the guard hadn’t called.

Len eventually let him go, slowly wandering back to the window and dropping out of sight. Barry resisted the urge to watch him leave from the window and instead flopped back onto the bed. He buried his face in hands. He was definitely in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT GON HAPPEN LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO FIND OUT LADS

**Author's Note:**

> OOOOOOHHHHHHH
> 
> Why does Barry hate Eobard?  
> How will Len try to stop/seduce the Knight?  
> When will he find out that Barry IS the Knight?  
> Will Cisco stop being put in the middle of Coldflash's drama?
> 
> Exciting stuff! Leave me comments and Kudos so I know whether or not to finish this. It should only be a few chapters not like my Disney ones but I'm quite happy with how this one is planned out :)


End file.
